20 galleons, 13 sickles and 10 knuts
by Swordy123
Summary: Lily Evans hates James Potter, James loves Lily. Remus Lupin has a dark secret and Sirus Black is a Slytherin sorted into Gryffindor. Peter Pettigrew is a child who's father expects way too much out of. Full summary and warnings can be found inside.MWPP
1. Prologue

**Prologue/Introduction/Author's Note**

**Title:** 20 Galleons, 13 sickles and 10 knuts

**Estimated length: **50-75 chapters (yes its long… please forgive me)

**Warning:** Contains small spoilers of all Harry Potter books. Rated M for future chapters due to violence, self harm, sexual content and language. Will contain extreme angst and abuse so if you don't like that stuff I suggest you don't read.

**Disclaimer:** As much as I would love to take credit for J.K.R.'s amazing characters and awe-inspiring plot, I have to admit… Its all hers, I own nothing.

**Full Summary: **Ever wondered what happened before the boy who lived? If you're an avid Harry Potter fan you might have picked up of a few things. Like the fact that James Potter loves Lily Evans, who appears to hate James but, in fact, loves him. You've probably noticed (God I hope so, or else you're really misinformed) that Remus Lupin is a werewolf and Peter Pettigrew (unfortunately I have to include the dumb rat) is a traitor. And you must have realised that Sirius Black came from a dark family, hung out with, what his family deemed, was a blood traitor, got disowned and was convicted of a murder he did not commit. (Wow we sure know a hell of a lot more about Sirius than anyone else.) But what really happened? How does everything fit together? This is my interpretation of how James met Lily, how the marauders were formed, why a little rat turned on his best friends, why Voldemort killed the Potters and most importantly who they all were.


	2. It Begins

Chapter 1: It Begins

In a medium sized house on Privet Drive, a small child perched precariously on the armrest of her mother's chair. Petunia Evans was curious about her mother, Rose Evans', Protruding stomach. Her mother had told her that she was going to have a baby sibling soon. Petunia hoped that it would be a girl. Rose Evans smiled privately to herself before removing her small child from her perch and taking her upstairs to bed.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

In a Huge mansion in Godric's Hollow, Harold Potter paced outside a closed door. His wife, Emily Potter, was pregnant and due any day. They still didn't have a clue what to name the child. Harold was ecstatic. He hoped for a boy but either way he was just happy to have a child. He stopped pacing and flopped into a chair in his study across the hall. Emily would call him if he needed him.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

In a small cabin in the woods Daniel Lupin was arguing with his 8 and a half month pregnant wife.

"The baby is due sometime in the next two weeks," He argued gently. "It's about time you stopped working and started preparing for what's to come."

"I guess your right. I just don't want to be bored out of my wits." Christina Lupin sighed.

"I understand, but I'm worried about you." Daniel replied, "Besides, I'm sure you'll have plenty to do."

"Ok, today's my last day. I'll submit my request for maternity leave when I get to work." Christina said, caving in.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

In a cosy little cottage on the London country side, the Minister of Magic, Robert Pettigrew, was sitting at his kitchen table drinking a bottle of fire-whisky, watching his pregnant wife struggle to make dinner.

'For her sake, the baby better be a boy or else she's gonna get it.' He thought to himself.

Lauren Pettigrew was having a hard time making dinner for her husband. She was almost 8 months pregnant and was hoping for a boy. She knew her husband would be upset if it wasn't and she hated making him upset.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Number 12, Grimmauld Place was a disaster. Kreacher, the house elf, was scrambling to make his mistress, Walburga Black comfortable. Orion Black, the master of the house, had just run to the pure blood hospital to fetch a nurse for his wife. Walburga had just entered labour. The Blacks were dark wizards; they always had been and always would be. Orion needed an heir to his legacy or else the Black linage would be erased. He grabbed the nearest nurse and yelled in her face that his wife was in labour and she needed help. The nurse calmly sent for another nurse to accompany him back to his house. 5 intense hours later, at 11:59 on February 2nd 1958, Sirius Orion Black was born


	3. Magical Mishaps

Chapter 2: Magical Mishaps: Lily

A five year old Lillian Maria Evans was standing in front of her first year class as her teacher was ridiculing her for falling asleep again. Lily desperately wanted to disappear. Her teacher, Mr. Trinity, was calling her a stupid little girl. Lily, a smart, very shy, and small red head, had a tendency to freeze when asked questions, especially when she had an audience. As her teacher continued to make an example of her, she started getting angry. Lily, as young as she was, had a temper to be reckoned with… as most red heads do. The lights flickered

"Stop it." Lily demanded as her eyes narrowed.

"Don't take that tone with me child. You're nothing but a pathetic little girl who has the intelligence of an octopus. I don't have a clue how you managed to pass preschool. Your social skills are non existent and your manners are horrendous. If it were up to me id throw you out of here right now." Mr. Trinity said in a deadly, mocking voice.

Lily stood through his speech, looking calm on the outside. In the inside she was boiling with anger.

"You have worse manners than I do." She stated quietly, walking slowly towards the door. "You sound like a girl on helium when you yell and you're dumb as hell, because for your information, an octopus is a very intelligent animal. Oh and by the way… your hair looks like a SKUNK." With that said Lily stormed out the class room to the sound of laughter. She had turned her teachers wig into a skunk. This was the first, but certainly not the last, clue she was a witch.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

James Harrison Potter was walking through the cafeteria at his muggle elementary school. James was a strange child. A social outcast at age 9, his messy black hair and round glasses made him a target for many pranks and bullying. His small wiry body made it hard to for James stick up for himself as the bullies were much larger boys than he was. That wasn't the only reason he didn't have any friends. The boy was strange, as was his family. A kid in his class that lived on the same street as him said there was always owls around his house and white flashes could often be seen from inside. James seemed to make things up. He claimed his favourite game was Quidittch and that it was played on broomsticks in the air.

As James went to sit at a table 3 kids from his class came up and started making fun of him. The ringleader, Vernon Dursley, (A/N ooo! Dun dun dun!) started calling him a freak and asked him if he had flown on a broom lately. When James started relating his newest adventure, Vernon laughed and proceeded to bully him before making the mistake of insulting his family. That was the last straw for James. The lights flickered and his eyes narrowed.

"Oh yeah? Well you're just a pig fat PIG!" James yelled.

Vernon's eyes widened as a weird feeling spread across his head. His friends freaked and started yelling. Vernon Dursley had sprouted pigs ears. The lunch lady starred in wonder before escorting James and Vernon to the principal's office. James didn't care that he was in trouble. He was ecstatic! He had finally preformed magic.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Remus John Lupin was a handful. At the age of six, he had already shown signs of magic. His father, a diplomat for the ministry, who was working on human-werewolf relations, was extremely proud of his son. Daniel Lupin was a muggleborn wizard, his wife, Christina, was a pureblood. She had gone beyond all her family beliefs to marry him and he loved her very much. There was a shriek of delight from outside. It was dark and a full moon shone through the window. Another scream was heard but this time it sounded terrified. A howl followed the other scream closely. Daniel Lupin ran to the door, wand in hand. What he saw made his blood curdle. He starred at his wife's ashen face before looking at his son's stomach. Remus was bleeding very badly. Another howl sounded causing Daniel to jump into action. He rushed over to his son, scooped him up and nudged his wife gently inside. He grabbed some floo powder stepped into the fire, shouted "St. Mungos" and disappeared in a flash of green flames.

Christina Lupin was in shock. Her precious son had been bitten by a werewolf. She briefly wondered what she should do before flooing to St. Mungos to see her son. A nagging thought kept drifting across her mind, but she insistently pushed it away. She found her husband and sat down next to him, allowing time for her thoughts. As soon as her thoughts registered she started yelling at the man sitting beside her.

"What did you do that made a werewolf so mad he would bite my son?" she screamed. "This is entirely your fault. If not for your damned work my son would be normal. He wouldn't be some kind of half-breed freak. I don't think I can live with you anymore."

Daniel starred at her in complete shock. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed to stutter out, "M…my fault?" He blinked a few times before he fully registered the other things she said. His eyes widened. "You can't just leave us. We need you. We can't get through this without you. Please Chrissie, think of Remus."

"What about him?" She snapped, "He's not human anymore. He's just a half-breed. He's not my son anymore. My son is dead. I don't want anything to do with 'IT'. Or for that matter, you." With that said, she walked away from him heading out of the hospital and his life.

A nurse stepped out of the room that held Remus. "You can see him now, sir. The doctor says he will survive. This is a tragedy within itself, for one so young, to be cursed with this horrible condition."

Daniel stepped into the hospital room and sat down in a chair beside the bed his son was in. Remus opened his chocolate brown eyes. "Daddy, what happened? Where's Mommy?" The scared child asked.

"Your mother has gone away for a while, Remus." Daniel said quietly to his child. "Rest now, you will need all your strength to recover."

"OK Daddy." Remus replied quietly.

Once Remus Lupin fell back into a peaceful, drug induced, sleep, his father planned for his future. Remus stayed in the hospital for a few weeks. During that time, his father made arrangements for the next full moon and Remus' first transformation. He hired a private healer and a full time nanny for. He vowed to always be there for and support Remus.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Peter Lawrence Pettigrew was a short, chubby child who was intimidated by many things. As the son of the Minister for Magic, he had grown up around the press, in a very broken family. His mother adored him and spoiled him rotten. His father, on the other hand, found him weak and pathetic. He claimed that Lauren babied him too much, which led to rather spectacular fight that left both Peter and his mother bruised. Robert Pettigrew had been watching Peter closely since his 10th birthday, a month ago, for signs of magic. So far, though, Peter had shown no signs of magic. His father was worried that Peter might be a squib and, as the Ministers son, that just wouldn't do. This meant an even harder time for the boy. Peter had never been allowed to mingle with other children. Whenever his father was invited to a dinner party he was forced to stay with the adults and, since he had never met any kids his age, Peter had no friends. During one of these dinner parties, his mother had managed to finally convince his father to let him meet the other children. As he entered the room with all the underage wizards and witches looks of contempt passed over most of the occupants. The majority of them ignored him except for four people, a boy with blondish-white hair, a boy with short black hair, a girl with blonde hair and a girl with black hair. They immediately began taunting him. The boy with blonde hair seemed to be the self proclaimed leader of the little group.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Minister's son. Fat, pathetic looking thing isn't he?" the blonde kid asked.

"Yea, he gives purebloods like us a bad name." The dark haired girl answered.

"I heard he hasn't even done magic yet." The blonde girl said.

"That's pathetic. I'm younger than him and my parents have already bought me a wand." The black haired kid said, pulling his wand out to show them. "I even know a few hexes."

An evil grin spread across all of the fours faces. "Ooh, show him one Reg." The blonde girl said, squealing excitedly.

The black haired kid swished his wand and sent a bat bogey hex at Peter. The things flying at him were extremely weird and looked disgusting.

"Ewww get it away, gross, ewww." Once the hex had worn off, Peter saw the group of four kids in hysterics. The black kid managed to catch his breath and shouted _tangrella_." All of the sudden Peter started dancing wildly. He had lost control of his feet. By now most of the people in the room were watching and laughing. Peter's eyes narrowed. He hated public humiliation. The lights in the room flickered and the black haired kid let out a yell as shot off his feet, upside down, towards the ceiling, only to be stopped at 13 feet, where he hovered for a moment then dropped at a breath taking speed. Another boy with black hair, that was slightly longer, whipped out his wand. He shouted a spell and the boy slowed his descent until he landed softly on the ground. The boy jumped to his feet and pointed his wand at Peter. The boy with the longer black hair muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'stupid idiot' before saying loudly. "That is enough Regulus. Stop torturing him all of you." He looked quite serious and glared at the troublesome four.

The boy with the blonde hair glared at him. "Who the hell do you think you are telling us what to do?"

The other boy's eyes narrowed. "Do not try my patience, Malfoy. I will not hesitate to curse you."

"You? Curse me? I'm in my second year of Hogwarts. You haven't even started your first. Sirius Black, you are mental."

"Just try me Malfoy. I'll curse you so bad I will be in my last year of Hogwarts before you recover." The boy called Sirius threatened. "After all, I am a Black, or did you forget Malfoy? I was raised around things that would make your eyes pop and your mommy scream in terror. I was born with more knowledge of the dark arts than you have learned. I dare you, just try me."

Malfoy laughed and pointed his wand at Sirius. Regulus grabbed his arm. "Don't be stupid, Lucius. He speaks the truth. You wouldn't stand a chance."

Malfoy struggled, and then shouted out, "He's nothing more than a sneaky, lying prankster and mudblood loving coward.

Both girls gasped, Regulus looked extremely shocked, and Peter chuckled quietly to himself, enjoying the show immensely. Sirius had not even blinked. He seemed mildly shocked, somewhat amused and a tad bit angry.

"Unlike you, Malfoy, I am not a coward, nor do I lie. I have no reason to because I believe in taking responsibility and consequences for my actions." A slight smirk spread across his face, "Nor do I fear things that are different. You fear what you cannot understand, and as you do not understand muggles you dislike them. You're afraid of muggles aren't you Malfoy? In order to keep yourself in power you feel the need to eliminate threats. So Malfoy… do you feel that Peter is a threat? Is that why you tried to intimidate him? Or maybe it's because he has more power than you. Did you finally realise your nothing more than a pathetic worm and that your last name does not make you good at everything? Did you finally realise that your last name isn't something that can protect you forever?"

Malfoy blinked, digesting Sirius' monologue. Just as he was about to retort, two adults walked into the room. "Lucius, we must leave now, so bid adieu to your little friends."

"This isn't over Sirius Black. Not by a long shot." Malfoy whispered walking away.

"'til next time Malfoy. I look forward to besting you once again." Sirius said loud enough for the whole room to hear. A few people chuckled in response.

Malfoy let out a growl of anger and stormed out of the room.

Peter turned to Sirius, "Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it."

Sirius starred at him. "I didn't do that for you. I could never pass up a chance to show Malfoy up." With that Sirius turned around a joined a conversation with the remaining three that had been picking on him.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sirius Black had been an unusual child from day one. He was exceptionally bright but seemed to reject most of what his parents taught him. He rebelled against them a little and hate people who that they were everything because they were pureblood. His outward demeanour was cool and he treated most people with cold indifference. He was extremely antisocial and didn't enjoy the company of the people his mom wanted him to interact with. When he was younger his parents had him believing muggles were monsters, but after meeting some muggle kids, and finding they were normal people, he no longer trusted his parents' judgement. At the moment, Sirius was avoiding his mothers wrath, but it didn't seem to be working that well.

'Sirius Orion Black, What the hell do you think you are doing, and where are you? Come here right now." A very, very angry Mrs. Walburga Black screamed.

"Staying away from you…" Sirius muttered under his breath, before bursting into silent peals of laughter. He watched his mother storm around the yard from his vantage point in the old walnut tree. His mother had told him loads of times not to climb it. She was afraid he would fall and crack his skull open. It wasn't that she cared about, or loved, him. She was more worried about the image he portrayed than his health. As the heir of the Black family, it was expected that he acted like a well brought up gentleman, not the young, fun loving, prank playing child he was. Sirius had a blatant disregard for the rules and was often in trouble. His first display of magic happened at his 7th birthday.

**Flashback **

A 7 year old Sirius Black was trying very hard not to punch his cousins, Bellatrix age 7, and Narcissa age 9; as they annoyed him about the fact he hadn't showed any magical abilities. It was getting old and he was tired of hearing it. He walked towards the refreshment table and they followed. In one quick movement he had dumped the punch bowl over their heads, soaking both the girls and an unfortunate Lucius Malfoy. The 9 year old boy whipped out his wand and fired a rather nasty curse towards Sirius. One minute Sirius was standing there as a blazing streak of purple light flew at him and two seconds later he was sitting in the walnut tree. His mother had been elated and had taken him to get his wand the next day. She hired a private tutor hat started teaching him hexes and curses as well as a basic behind magic, particularly dark arts.

**End Flashback**

Sirius had found that all extremely boring and was content to prank his teacher every chance he got. So far he had made 5 quit and his mother was immensely pissed about it. She decided if he had company and competition he would do better, so Regulus joined him in his lessons. The lessons improved a little better after that and he hadn't made a tutor quit in about 2 months. He had cut down on the pranks around the house as well, saving his better ideas for the dinner parties his parents forced him to. His favourite prank target was Lucius Malfoy and as a result that poor boy never managed to leave the party in the same state he arrived in. Sirius never passed up a chance to humiliate the Malfoy boy.

His mother's screams pulled Sirius from his thoughts. "Sirius, if you do not get over here in 2 minutes you will go to bed without dinner." His mother's harsh tone carried up to him.

Sirius sighed. "Alright, I'm coming." And he dropped out of the tree and followed his mother into the house.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Authors note: Aight guys… I haven't updated in a while and I PROMISE it will be out bye Saturday. I've changed the format of the story a little bit cuz a few of my friends commented on how the chapters are tooo short and they didn't understand that each chapter has 5 sub-chapters so… sorry for the confusion. The next chapter will be a full one in this format. There will be no more sub-chapter things.

Ta

Swordy


	4. Letters, Shocks and Magic Wands

Chapter 3: Letters, Shocks and Magic Wands

It was a beautiful day and Lily Evans was lying in her front garden, reading. She pushed her red hair out of her green eyes and sighed. Although she loved reading, Lily wished something exciting would happen. Her summer break had been horribly boring so far. The watch on her wrist beeped, signalling lunchtime, so she stood up and went to make herself a sandwich. She walked towards the door only to notice the strict looking woman standing on her porch talking to her mom. Lily walked silently up the steps, listening intently to their conversation.

"You want Lily to go to this school? Why? What type of school is it?" Rose Evans asked the lady.

"It's a school for gifted children. Lily is special, she has a gift. The school I represent teaches her how to control her gift. You see, young Miss Evans is a witch. She has magical abilities. If she chooses to attend, she has a place in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The woman explained.

"Oh… we shall have to ask her then. LILY! Could you come here for a moment?" Rose called.

"I am right here, Mother." Lily said from the chair she had sat down in.

"Oh… Hello dear. This lady is here to offer you a place at a school of magic. Do you want to go?" Rose asked her daughter.

"I would love to, but this is kind of hard to believe. Are you sure this isn't a joke?" Lily said looking around, as if expecting her father to jump out and say just kidding. "I mean I'm just a normal girl. I can't do magic."

"Has anything ever happened around you that you couldn't find a logical explanation for?" The lady asked.

"A few times, Ma'am, but not often. Are you sure it was me? How do you know?" Lily asked.

"There are ways of tracking magic. The Ministry tries to make sure muggles don't find out about our world." She replied. "Oh dear, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Minerva McGonagall, deputy Headmistress and the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts, you may call me Professor McGonagall. If you chose to attend, I will be accompanying you to get your supplies."

Lily smiled slightly. "Well, I guess I'll come. It sounds interesting and I like adventures, Can I go Mom?"

"Sure sweetie. It sounds like a wonderful experience. When will you be taking her to get her stuff and when does the school year start?" Rose questioned.

"I will come back next Monday to accompany Miss Evans to get her things. All the information you need is in this letter." Professor McGonagall answered, handing Lily an envelope. After saying this she turned and left Lily and her mother to talk. Lily ripped open the letter, now extremely excited. After scanning the green print she smiled and handed it to her mom.

One week later Lily Evans stood on her porch waiting for her new professor to come. Her sister, Petunia, pushed past her, muttering "freak" under her breath. Lily ignored her. Petunia had been horrible all week after their mother had informed her and their father. Her dad had been overjoyed. Both her parents were really proud and Lily and Petunia had never been that close. Professor McGonagall walked to her front door.

"Hello Miss Evans," She said curtly. "Are you ready?"

"Hi professor!" Lily said, beaming. "I am ready; I can't wait to get my first glimpse of the Magical world!"

"Alright Miss Evans, hold onto my arm and do not let go."

Lily looked at her perplexed, but did as she was told. She grabbed the professor's arm tightly. There was a loud crack and Lily felt pressure on all sides of her. Her eyes felt like they were going to pop out of her head so she squeezed them shut. An instant later the pressure subsided and she opened her eyes to find she was in a completely different place. Her eyes darted around the small alleyway and a confused look crossed her face.

"Why are we in this place? It's a dead end." She asked.

"Not everything is as it appears, child." The professor answered, tapping her wand on a brick in the wall.

Lily gasped with surprise and jumped back as the wall started to move. The bricks formed an archway, exposing Diagon Alley.

"This is Diagon Alley. It's located behind a pub called The Leaky Caldron, in central London. In order to access it, just tap the third brick from the left over the dust bin with your wand. Come, let's exchange your money for some wizarding money."

As the headed to a white building, several stories high, that looked like it might fall over at any given moment, Lily's eyes were never still. She tried to take in everything at once, almost giving herself whiplash. They entered the leaning building and lily stopped dead staring at the creature in front of her.

"What is that?" She asked, voice shaking a little.

"That, Miss Evans, is a goblin. They are extremely smart and deal with everything in Gringotts, the only wizarding bank to be trusted. There is no safer place to store your valuables, other than Hogwarts of course. Follow me, we need to exchange you muggle money." McGonagall explained.

"What's a muggle?" Lily asked.

"It's a person with no magical talents."

"Oh, So where to first?" Lily asked clutching her newly exchanged coins.

"Let's go get your wand. Olivander's sells the best wands around."

They entered a building that said Olivander's, makers of fine wands since 382 BC. Lily looked around curiously. An old man came to the front desk.

"Ah, Miss Evans is it? Welcome, welcome. Hold out your wand arm please." Mr. Olivander requested.

Lily looked momentarily confused before sticking out her right arm. A measuring tape went to work, measuring the length and width of her arm. After a few moments Mr. Olivander snapped his fingers and the tape stopped. He went to a shelf and pulled a box out. "Willow, 12 inches, dragon heartstring, give it a wave."

Lily waved it around. At first nothing happened and then with a loud crash the window shattered.

"Oh dear… Definitely not. Here, try this one, Oak, 8inches, Banshee hair."

She waved the new wand. With a popping sound the box in front of her went up in flames. This continued for another 10 wands before he handed her a box. "Willow, 10 and ¼ inches, unicorn hair, quite swishy and good for charms."

She instantly felt warmth traveling up her arm. She flicked it upward and multi-coloured sparks shot out the tip. Mr. Olivander gave a triumphant whoop and Lily paid for her wand before leaving to get the rest of her school stuff before Professor McGonagall took her home.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

It was the first week of July and James Potter was sitting his bed reading a Quidditch magazine, when an owl flew through his window, an envelope with emerald writing on it tied to the bird's leg. James pulled the letter off the owl's leg, saw the writing and turned it over. Once he saw the seal, he jumped off his bed and ran down the stairs, yelling for his parents. His mother and father came running.

"What is it James? What's the matter? What happened?" His mother, Emily, questioned worriedly.

"I got my Hogwarts letter!" James yelled beaming. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"That's great son!" His father, Harold, said clapping him proudly on the shoulder.

His mother smiled and hugged him. "My baby is all grown up and going to Hogwarts. I'm so proud!"

"I think this is time for a celebration! We should go to dinner tonight and we need to get James something in Diagon Alley." Harold recommended. "We should also get his school stuff while we are there."

"James, sweetie, what do you want in Diagon Alley?" Emily asked.

"I dunno yet. I'll know when I get there, though." James answered, racing upstairs to get ready.

James and his parents used floo powder to get to Diagon Alley. The first place they went was to Olivander's to get James wand. Although James was pure-blood, both his parents firmly believed in the ministry's laws, being aurors and all. So James had to wait until he was Hogwarts age before they got him a wand to prevent him for using magic to aid his pranks. As the entered the shop an old man came to the front.

"Ah. Young Mister Potter! Here to get your wand I suppose. Hold out your wand arm please."

James held his right arm out and immediately a measuring tape started measuring everything from the length or his arm to the space between his knuckles. Mr. Olivander seemed to have forgotten about the tape, which was measuring the space between his eyes, because when he turned around to hand James a box, he looked mildly surprised at the antics of the tape measure. Snapping his fingers, so that the tape dropped to the ground, he handed James the box in his hand.

"Ebony, 8inches, Dragon heartstring, quite flexible. Go on, give it a wave."

James gave the wand a swish and a vase exploded, showering them in pieces of pottery. He quickly placed it back in the box, apologising profusely.

"No matter, try this one."

James tried 2 more wands before Mr. Olivander handed him one that made warmth spread through his arm. He didn't even need to wave it because multi-coloured sparks shot out the end upon contact.

"Ah. Mahogany, 11inches, phoenix feather, pliable, good for transfiguration that one is." Mr. Olivander said.

They paid for the wand and headed out to get the rest of his stuff. On the way to Flourish and Blotts, the book store, James stopped to look at the new racing broom in the window of Quality Quidditch. The Comet 69 was the fastest broom yet! James grinned. "Dad, Mom, do you think instead of buying me a present this year you could get me the new racing broom that comes out next year so I can try out for the team? Pleaasssse?"

"Alright son, I think we can manage that." His father answered.

After a very satisfying day of shopping the Potters ate supper at a fancy wizarding restaurant before heading home. An extremely excited James Potter slept well that night, dreaming of racing brooms, pranks and Hogwarts.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

The past few years had not been kind on Remus Lupin. Because of his condition, he didn't really interact much with other children. Remus became shy and was suspicious of everyone. He enjoyed reading and found his escape in books. Remus had been raised by his father and he only vaguely remembered the rest of his relatives. When he was younger his mother had left, and her family wasn't exactly fond of him before his accident, and after it they refused to acknowledge his existence. Apart from his father, the one relative he had kept contact, albeit in secrecy, was his pure-blood cousin Britt. She was from his mother's side and as her parents believed in all that blood purity crap, she wasn't supposed to have anything to do with him. Her parents strongly supported the dark arts and believed all half-breeds, half-bloods and muggle-borns were scum and should be 'destroyed'. They had enrolled her in Durmstrang. Remus was a bit jealous because, although he knew he wouldn't like it there, at least she was going to school. Britt had tried many times to convince Remus he would make it to school but he didn't see it happening because of his condition. His father had talked to the headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Dipit, a few years back but he was absolutely against it and even though Hogwarts was now under a new headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, Remus still had his doubts.

It was a Saturday morning and Remus was rather bored. He heard his father bring in the owl post and headed downstairs to see if he had a letter from Britt. When he reached the living room, however, a strange sight met his eyes. His father was out cold on the rug. In his hand was a letter. A letter with green writing and a Hogwarts seal. Remus gently pried the letter from his father's hand. He sat down on the shabby old couch and read the letter

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, first class, Grand sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, international confed. of wizards.

Dear Mr. Lupin.

We are please to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.Term begins on the 1st of September. We await your owl by no later than the 31st of July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy headmistress

Remus read the letter twice over before letting out a shout of joy, successfully reviving his father from his faint. Remus thumbed to the next page, but instead of finding a supply list he found another letter.

Dear Mr. Lupin,

Special plans have been set up for your condition. After the welcome back festivities it is required that you meet Professor McGonagall to discuss the events that shall occur during the full moon. Please use great discretion with your secret, Mr. Lupin, as I am afraid many people hold a prejudice against all werewolves and many would be against sending their children to school with one.

Until the first then, Mr. Lupin

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

Daniel Lupin, Remus' father, still looking shocked, read the letters Remus shoved into his hands and a slow smile crept across his face. Remus was laughing and doing some sort of weird dance. **(A/N: sorry had to put this in here, reminds me of a friends victory dance) **Daniel let out a small laugh at his son before suggesting they go get Remus his school stuff in Diagon Alley. Remus grinned and reached for the container of floo powder. He tossed a handful into the fire, shouting "Diagon Alley" before stepping into the green flames. His father followed and the went to get Remus his school books and other things he needed before making a last stop at Olivander's to get his wand. As they stepped into the shop, Remus ran into a boy with short brown hair.

"I'm sorry." Remus said, offering his hand to the boy whom he had knocked over.

"It's alright, I'm fine." The boy said, excepting his hand and dusting himself off. "Peter Pettigrew." He said shaking Remus' hand.

"Pettigrew?" Remus' eyes widened. "As in the Minister's son? Oh my. Dreadfully sorry."

"It's ok mate, no harm done. I didn't catch your name." Peter replied grinning.

"Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meetcha, Remus, 'Scuse me, I have to get the rest of my stuff." Peter stated slipping out the door.

Remus stepped further into the shop, stopping beside his father, to wait until him and the shop keeper had finished their conversation.

When the shop keeper noticed him, he smiled. "Ah, Remus Lupin, lets see… hold out your wand arm please." Mr. Olivander grapped a wand off the shelf and handed it to Remus.

"Willow, 12inches, werewolf hair. Give it a wave."

Remus gave the wand a wave and a few sparks came out the end.

"Hmm, seems to react a little, but that might have something to do with your… erm… condition. Here, try this, Ebony, 9inches, unicorn hair."

Remus waved it and nothing happened. Olivander started handing him wands until, on this 7th try, he was handed a mahogany wand, 10 and ½ inches long, with a phoenix feather core. He felt warmth travel up his arm and multi-coloured sparks leap from the end.

"Hmm, well, that's that."

Remus paid for this new wand and left. He and his father ate at a small bakery before flooing home. After writing to his cousin, Remus fell into a satisfied sleep, dreaming of Hogwarts and having friends, dreaming of a slightly normal life.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Peter Pettigrew had just woken up and was sitting at his kitchen table, listening to his father berate him for waking up late, when an owl flew through the window landing gracefully on the back of the chair beside him. The owl hooted and stuck its leg out so Peter could retrieve the letter from the birds' leg. Once free of its message it flew off, leaving Peter to read the letter in his hands. A brief smile crossed his face and he wordlessly handed the letter to his father. Robert Pettigrew looked at the letter, slightly surprised. "Good, you got in. I was sure you didn't have enough magic in you to go, get your mother to take you to Diagon Alley to get your school shit."

Peter nodded and stood up. He went upstairs to change into something more presentable before showing any sort of excitement. 'I'm finally getting out of this hell house' was the thought running through his head. He briefly thought about his mother before running through everything he knew about Hogwarts. He remembered what his mother told him from her time there. She had been in Ravenclaw, the house best known for its occupants thirst for knowledge and hunger to learn. His father was in Slytherin, where the students within were described as ambitious and thirsted for power. There were two other houses, Gryffindor, where students with a stout heart full of loyalty and courage could be found and Hufflepuff, where those who did not have the other elements stand out in them were found. 'I'll probably be in Hufflepuff.' Thought Peter, sadly, 'Although Gryffindor would be my choice.'

He went to share the news with his mother. She smiled and said they would go to Diagon Alley in an hour. Peter nodded and went back to his room to tidy it up. An hour later his mother called for him and they left. His mother handed him some galleons and told him to get his wand while she got some potion ingredients that she needed. He headed to Olivander's, weaving through a crowd of shoppers. Stepping into the shop, he shot what he imagined was a charming smile at the shop keeper. The old man smiled politely and requested that he hold out his wand arm.

Peter held out his right arm obligingly and a measuring tape attacked him. After a few minutes of pure torture, Mr. Olivander snapped his fingers and the tape stopped. He handed Peter a box.

"Maple, 9 and ¼ inches, unicorn hair."

As Peter gripped it, warmth spread through his fingers. He didn't even have to wave it because as soon as he touched it multi-coloured sparks shot from the end.

Mr. Olivander smiled, satisfied. "Ah, an easy customer."

Peter paid for his wand and headed for the door. Just as he was leaving, another boy rushed in smacking into him and successfully sending him sprawling onto the dusty floor.

"I'm sorry." The boy who knocked him over apologised, offering him a hand up.

"It's alright, I'm fine." Peter replied, excepting his hand and dusting himself off. "Peter Pettigrew." He said shaking the boy's hand with a slight smile on his face.

"Pettigrew?" The boy standing in front of him looked slightly scared. "As in the Minister's son? Oh my. Dreadfully sorry."

"It's ok mate, no harm done. I didn't catch your name." Peter's smile grew broader. This boy was intimidated by him!

"Remus Lupin." The other boy answered.

"Nice to meetcha, Remus, 'Scuse me, I have to get the rest of my stuff." Peter stated slipping out the door. Once outside he allowed himself an amused chuckle before setting off in search of his mother.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sirius Black was enjoying, immensely, a quiet breakfast. It wasn't that the food was any better this morning then it was any other morning, but rather that there was nobody yelling at him about his manners and he enjoyed the rare silence. Unfortunately all good things eventually come to an end, as was the case this morning. A large, clumsy owl flew through the opened window, knocking his bowl to the floor and successfully disturbing the peace. He detangled the envelope from the bird's leg just as his mother stepped into the kitchen to yell at him.

"Sirius Orion Black! Why must you always make a mess? And will you ever learn to stay QUIET?" Walburga Black said, putting great emphasis on the word 'quiet'.

"I'm sorry, mother. The owl that delivered my Hogwarts letter crashed into my porridge bowl." Sirius explained, being extra careful about his politeness.

His mother forgot she was mad the instant she heard "Hogwarts letter". She yelled for Sirius' father. Orion, ORION! Sirius got his letter!"

Sirius' father came down the hall. He clapped a hand on Sirius' shoulder and said proudly "Good job, son! Let's go to Diagon Alley to get your stuff, I need a few things as it is.

The black family used a port key to get to Diagon Alley. They collected his school books and went to Olivander's to get Regulus a new wand, as the boy had broken his in a fit. Sirius remembered the time he went to get his wand.

**Flashback**

Sirius had preformed his first accidental magic the day before and he was now standing in Olivander's, getting measured by a pesky measuring tape. The old man, Olivander, snapped his fingers and the tape dropped lifelessly on to the floor. After trying several wands, Olivander handed him a wand made of mahogany, 12inches long, with a phoenix feather core. Feeling a slightly warm sensation in his fingers, he waved the wand, sending multi-coloured sparks bouncing across the walls.

**End Flashback**

Sirius had been so excited that when he got home he had started practicing spells. His mother hired numerous tutors for him and although he was learning magic, he hated it and did his best to get rid of them. Sirius shuddered when he thought of Regulus with a wand. His little brother had the power to avenge himself when he had a wand and needless to say, this ended the pranks Sirius played on him. Sirius thoughts drifted back to Hogwarts. Finally he was going to get out of his dreaded house and away from his messed up family. He would be free to play pranks at will because the many students in the castle made it hard to trace back to him and he could socialize with whomever he wanted. Yes… Hogwarts was gonna be a hell of a lot of fun.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Authors Note: heh... its only a little late. Sorry eh. Anyway. Its long by my standards and it took for ever. This chapter is dedicated to my only reviewer, and good friend. Its his birthday present! Smile! Those of you that are still reading this story, reveiws are extremely apreciated.

Ta,

Swordy


	5. Train Rides, Fistfights and First Looks

Chapter 4: Train Rides, Fistfights and First looks.

It was the first of September and Lily Evans was doing a few seconds of last minute packing. She had forgotten to put her school books into her trunk and was frantically stuffing them into the small spaces left. She glanced at the clock worriedly. It read 10:30. 'Oh Nooo, I'm going to be late.' She thought. As if reading her mind, her mother called up the stairs, "LILY, hurry up. We are going to be late!"

Lily rushed down the stairs dragging her heavy trunk behind her. "I'm here. Could you help with this? It's really heavy."

Lily's dad smiled and heaved her trunk into the (**errr…**) trunk of the car. "There you go, dear. Get in the car, hurry before we miss the train."

Lily and her parents arrived at the King's Cross train station at 10:53, seven minutes before the train was due to leave and she still didn't have a clue how to get on to the platform. Looking around, she noticed a boy hurrying towards the ticket booth between platforms nine and ten. It wasn't the boy, however, that caught her eye, it was the strange things on his trolley. Lily watched him, and for a moment it looked like he was going to smack into the wall before he disappeared. If Lily hadn't have already been late, she would have questioned her sanity for even thinking of following this boy, but since the train was due to leave in five minutes, she gave her parents hugs goodbye and took a run at the wall, half expecting to smash into it. The world went dark for a moment, and then suddenly there was a scarlet train in front of her. It was getting ready to depart so Lily sped towards the nearest door, dragging her trunk behind her. The trunk was so heavy that she couldn't lift it up the stairs and for a second, she thought she would get left behind, before her trunk moved out of the way and she felt two arms grab her around the waist, pulling her onto the train as it started to move. Two boys with reddish-blonde hair stared down at her intently.

"Are you…" One of the twins started to ask.

"…Alright?" the other finished.

"Yea, I'm good. Thank you soo much. I thought I was gonna get left behind for a moment there. Lily Evans." Lily answered with a smile, offering her hand.

"Gideon," the first boy said, shaking her hand.

"And Fabian," The second said, shoving the first aside in order to shake her hand.

"Prewett." The first one, Gideon, finished with a grin.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

James Potter had been up since five am. He had not slept well because of the exciting prospect of going to Hogwarts that loomed over his head. Uncharacteristically, James was completely packed and ready to go. On normal days, James made it his policy to be late for almost everything and never rise before twelve pm, which just emphasised how excited he was on this particular morning. At ten am, James checked that he had everything and made himself some breakfast. His mother entered the kitchen a few minutes later and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table.

"Your Father would like to speak to you in his study, James." She said, stifling a yawn.

James stood up and walked down the hall to the stairs before climbing to the third floor, where his fathers study, the library, and his parent's room were all located. He knocked softly on the study door.

"Enter." The faint sound of his father's voice drifted through the door.

James pushed open the door to see his father digging through an old chest. He pulled out something silky and shimmering. Upon closer investigation, James noticed that the material flowed, almost as though it were alive. His father held it out for him and James fingered the silvery material in wonder.

"What is it??" He asked voice filled full of awe.

"Put it on." his father suggested.

James threw the material over his head.

"Now look down."

James looked down at his body, only to find it missing. "Woaah. Where did my body go? That's totally wicked!"

"It's an invisibility cloak. This particular cloak has been handed down to the eldest son of the Potter family for generations. Your mother does not wish for me to give this to you, but it is my belief it will be useful for you at school. Please try not to get into too much trouble with it. Also, I would appreciate it if your mother did not find out about this." His father explained.

"Wow! Thanks dad, this is so cool!" James exclaimed, running to his trunk to add the cloak to his possessions. He gently placed it under a pair of black robes. His mother appeared in the entrance hall and they took a portkey that Dumbledore had arranged for them. James hugged his mother and she hugged him back tightly, for a moment it almost seemed like she would cry. When James managed to struggle out of her grip, he was glad to see her eyes were dry. His father embraced him and James smiled, promised to be good and set out for the train, ready to cause all sorts of mischief.

XxXxXxXxXx

A very nervous and excited Remus Lupin was pacing his room, carefully going over a mental checklist. Once he was certain he had everything he slammed the lid of his trunk shut. Dragging the heavy item behind him, he trudged downstairs to eat a small breakfast before departing for the platform. His owl, Hermes, flew through the window, dropping several letters for him and his father on the table, before settling on his cage. Remus sorted the mail, pulling out two letters for himself and setting his fathers mail on the counter. One letter was from his cousin, no doubt wishing him luck about school. Stashing this in his robes so he would have something to do on the train, he turned to the other letter. This letter was curious, with scrawling script and an intricate seal that made Remus suspect it came from a pureblood family. Frowning slightly, he opened the envelope. Unfolding the letter, he scanned it quickly before growling in disgust and tossing it in the fireplace. His father walked in, took a look at the shrivelling note and asked his fuming son quietly, "What was that?"

"That was a letter from my mother. They seem to have found out that I'm going to Hogwarts and are now suddenly interested in my future." Remus said glaring at the letter. "She wanted to arrange a meeting, but I am not willing to do that. She doesn't get to just walk back into my life after five years."

"Are you sure Remus? Do you really want to pass up the opportunity to get to know your mother? Are you positive she doesn't deserve another chance?" Daniel asked his son.

"How can you ask that? Do you think she does? She walked out on us when we needed her the most, when I needed her the most. She can't just be here for the easy things, dad." Remus said in a tone that signified 'end of conversation'. "We should probably get going because I would not like to miss the train."

"Alright then, Dumbledore gave us a portkey for us because the floo system gets overloaded on Hogwarts days. Grab your stuff." Daniel replied, dropping the subject for the moment.

Ushering Hermes into his cage, Remus grabbed his trunk and followed his father to the portkey.

Arriving at platform 9 and ¾, Remus gave his father a quick hug goodbye and hurried onto the train, hoping to make some friends and determined to prove that he deserved to be in Hogwarts.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

It was the morning of the first and the Pettigrew house was in turmoil. Peter's trunk had fallen down the stairs and he was frantically trying to gather his stuff, muttering curses under his breath. His father came out of the kitchen to yell at him.

"Hurry up you clumsy, good for nothing, shit for brains. Your going to miss the train you idiot. Faster boy, hurry up!" His father roared.

Peter struggled to find his stuff and his father wasn't helping by yelling at him. His mother appeared at the top of the stairs. She watched for a few seconds before muttering a spell and flicking her wand. All of Peter's belongings flew into the trunk. Peter winced; undoubtedly his mother would pay later for helping him. She walked calmly down the stairs.

"Peter, dear, please get your shoes and cloak on before we are late." His mother requested.

"Sure, mom." Peter said, hurriedly pulling on his shoes and shoving his arms in his cloak.

"Robert, we need to take Peter to the train station immediately. It wouldn't do for his father, the Minister of Magic, to not see his only child off to school, now would it? Come along."

Peter followed his mother and father outside to the car his father always used when he needed muggle transportation. The driver opened the door for them, placed Peters trunk in the back of the car and speeded off, towards Kings Cross train station in downtown London. Arriving at the train station, the driver let them out, loaded Peter's trunk onto a trolley and informed them that he would wait in the car until their return.

Escorted by his parents, Peter stepped through the barrier and onto platform 9 and ¾. The blinding flash of cameras went off and his father, putting on the happy family face, hugged Peter. His mother hugged him tightly, telling him how proud she was and that she had every confidence he would do well. Peter gave her one last wave and stepped onto the train to the flash of cameras, glad to finally be getting away from it all.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sirius Black's morning started as pleasant as any other, with his _dear _mother telling him to get his lazy ass out of bed. Sitting up slowly, Sirius checked the time. Groaning because it was only 7:45 which, to any person older than nine and younger than 25, was defiantly too early to be awake and moving, he slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After a nice refreshing shower, he realised what day it was. Feeling wide awake, he collected the few things he had not packed and shoved them in his trunk. Sliding down the banister of the stairs that connected the upper floors to the entrance hall, Sirius arrived at the kitchen door, just in time for breakfast. He sat down at the table, grinning like a maniac. After he ate a satisfying breakfast, satisfying because it was the last one he would be eating in this kitchen for a while, his mother drilled him hard about school.

"You will be on your best behaviour. No foolish pranks or consorting with mudbloods. You are expected to get into Slytherin. Do not disgrace the Black name or embarrass us. Do you understand?" Walburga Black demanded.

"Yes, mother." Sirius muttered. Trust his mother to take the fun out of going to school, not that he was actually planning on following her rules.

"Good, now go upstairs and finish packing. We leave in 20 minutes."

Sirius bolted upstairs, double checked that he had everything and gave his room one last sweep, hiding things he did not wish his family to find. While cleaning, he found a few prank books. Smiling to himself, he shoved them into his trunk. Satisfied that everything of importance was either packed or hidden, Sirius coxed his owl, Boodschapper or Bood for short, who was named after a Dutch word he had seen meaning messenger, into her cage. Sirius dragged his trunk down the stairs. His mother strode into the entrance hall followed by his father and his brother.

"The floo systems are overloaded but since our house was one of the first few connected, we should be alright." His mother said, grabbing the bag of floo powder off the mantle and passing it around.

Each of them took a handful. "Platform 9 and ¾." his mother shouted stepping into the green flames. Sirius and Regulus followed and Orion took up the rear. Sirius' parents said a swift goodbye and went to speak to some pureblood families, leaving Sirius alone with Regulus.

"I'm going to miss you, Sirius." Regulus stated quietly. "Lessons are going to be extremely boring. Good luck and have loads of fun ok?"

"Alright, Reg. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone." Sirius said embracing him quickly before boarding the train, giving him one last wave.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Sirius found his way to an empty compartment. He placed his luggage on the luggage rack and pulled out his prank book. Grinning, he started to plan a prank for his first ever Hogwarts feast. As the train started moving there was a disturbance in the hall. Sirius opened the door to see Lucius Malfoy and his own cousins picking on that boy they did every dinner party they could, the Pettigrew kid. Another boy, one Sirius guessed was about his age, with black messy hair and wire glasses stepped into the hall.

"What the bloody hell is all this noise? I was trying to sleep!" He shouted, glaring to everyone.

Bellatrix turned to glare at the boy. Muttering something to Malfoy and Narcissa, she aimed her wand at him and sent something flying his way, something that sounded like a brutal curse. The boy waited to the last minute before neatly and causally dodging it, throwing a disarming spell back. Taken off-guard, Bellatrix just barely dodged it. She muttered something else to the other two and Malfoy turned to help. Sirius watched from the sideline, quietly calculating everyone's reaction time. Feeling the time was right, he stepped out of the compartment, disarming Narcissa. He then turned around planning on taking Malfoy out; only to turn right into the disarming hex said foe had thrown at him. Sirius made a dive for his wand. Missing, he ended up tackling Malfoy instead. In the distraction, the other boy managed to disarm Bella. Sirius and Malfoy rolled around on the ground throwing punches. The other boy skirted around them, pulling the Pettigrew kid to his feet. Sirius vaguely heard what the black haired kid was saying.

"Potter, James Potter." He said, introducing himself.

"Peter Pettigrew." The other kid said shaking his hand.

The boy, now identified as James Potter nodded his head in Sirius and Malfoy's direction. "Friends of yours?"

"The one with light hair is Lucius Malfoy, the other is Sirius Black." Peter answered. "Black has a deep hatred for Malfoy. It's helped me out a few times. Do you think we should maybe break them up or something?"

"Na… this is more entertaining. It surprises me that the Black kid hates Malfoy. Blacks and Malfoys are usually tight. That Black kid is really kicking ass though…"

Sirius gave Malfoy a few more shots before collecting himself. Pocketing his wand, he returned to his compartment, leaving a bewildered James and Peter, and a very sorry Malfoy and crew, in his wake. James, not being one to back down from a chance at new friends, followed him and Peter, not wanting to be left alone, followed James. Sirius, who had gone back to planning his prank, glared at the intruders. Stashing his book in his robes, he stood up.

"Can I help you with something?" He asked with cold politeness.

"Nope." James answered, flopping down on the opposite seat of the compartment, and beckoning Peter to do the same. "We figured we would join you, because the last compartment I was in was occupied by this greasy-haired, hook-nosed kid that had Slytherin written all over him.

Peter, who had sat down when James had gestured for him to, spoke up quietly. "I never even got to a compartment before I was ambushed by Slytherins."

Sirius grumbled something about having to share and about getting landed with a dumb family with stupid values that were going to get him stuck in a lame house. In the middle of his mumbling rant the compartment door opened again and a sickly looking boy entered the compartment. Looking around, he sat tensely beside Sirius.

"Sorry, everywhere else is full. I'm Remus Lupin." The boy introduced himself, nervously.

"Hey Remus! 'Member me? Peter Pettigrew." Peter said a little relieved to see someone he recognised. James was ok… but he made Peter feel a little awkward. "This is James Potter and the silent, sulky one is Sirius Black."

"Nice ta meet ya, Remus." James replied over Peters excited chattering.

Remus grinned and reached across to shake James' hand. Turning he offered his hand to Sirius. His gesture went ignored, so Remus turned back to James and Peter and they started talking about Hogwarts.

"I wanna be in Gryffindor." James stated. "It's the best house. Both my parents were in Gryffindor."

Peter grinned. "That's where I wanna be too. My mother was a Ravenclaw and my father was in Slytherin. I don't wanna be like him… Knowing me though, I'll probably be in Hufflepuff."

"Gryffindor sounds cool, but I don't think I'm brave enough for that." Remus said quietly. "Ravenclaw sounds alright, so maybe I'll be in there. My parents were both in Ravenclaw."

"I think a lot of the time people end up in the same house there parents were in." James said.

"Great, then I'm stuck in Slytherin." Sirius muttered, making the other three jump. "Not that I was expecting to be sorted elsewhere."

"That's right! I forgot your whole family has been sorted into Slytherin over the years. Muggle haters, aren't you? Why was I stupid enough to come sit with a stupid, muggle hating, pompous, sulky pureblood who happens to be full of himself." James said is a mocking tone.

"Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions, Potter. At least I'm not a self-absorbed, big-headed, egotistical prat who thinks he knows everything." Sirius said maliciously.

James was about to yell back when a girl with auburn hair and two boys with lighter red hair entered the compartment.

"Sorry to bother you," The girl said politely. "but could you please be a bit quieter. There's a girl in the next compartment who is feeling awfully sick."

James couldn't stop staring at this redheaded girl. Peter and Remus traded a look.

"Yea, sure, no problem. Tell her that we are sorry for bothering her." Sirius said quietly.

"Alright, thanks mate." One of the boys said. "By the way, I'm Fabian Prewett."

"Sirius Black. Pleasure to meet you." Sirius said shaking his hand

"Gideon Prewett." The other boy said shaking Sirius' offered hand.

Remus and Peter were in shock. The fact that Sirius was being polite, even nice to someone was shocking.

"Lily Evans." The girl said with a slight smile. "Is there something wrong with your friend?" Lily pointed at James who was almost drooling, his mouth gaping opened.

"Nope, he's just struck dumb at your beauty, my dear Lily." Sirius said with a grin.

"Uhh… yea… you might wanna let him know he's drooling." She said turning to Remus and Peter. "Hi, I'm Lily. Who are you guys?" She asked, sitting down beside Remus. Gideon and Fabian sat down on one side of Peter.

"I'm Remus Lupin, he's Peter Pettigrew and the gaping one is James Potter." Remus answered, half amused. Sirius gave James a nudge.

"Potter, snap out of it. You're drooling all over the floor."

James jumped, shocked out of his daydreams. "Right, sorry."

Sirius pushed him into the empty seat beside Remus. He then went back to planning his prank quietly, listening partially to the others' conversation.

"I don't really know a lot about Hogwarts." Lily was saying, "I'm a muggleborn. I'm kind of worried that I'll be behind everyone else."

"You should probably be careful who you tell about your heritage until after the sorting. Some people have problems with muggleborns." James said quietly, staring at Sirius.

Lily followed his gaze. "Are you saying Sirius has a problem with me?" Lily asked shocked and almost laughing. "Sirius is too nice, I think you're mistaken."

"Yo, Black, do you not have a problem with muggles and muggleborns?" James asked.

"I was raised by people who hate muggles so that I would hate muggles and muggleborns, but I have never believed in judging people by the traits they can't control. You judge too quick, Potter." Sirius replied in a calm, quiet voice.

"See?!? He's not a bad person… At least, I don't think he is." Lily said, smiling.

"Seems like a nice guy to me." Gideon said

"Yea, seems kinda shy and a little quiet but defiantly doesn't have to bad of character" Fabian agreed.

Sirius jotted down a few final things in his prank book before closing it with a snap, grinning triumphantly. He glanced out the window and a little gasp of amazement escaped him. The rest of the crew turned to see what was worthy of a gasp from Sirius and this time James wasn't the only one shocked speechless.

"Oh wow! It's so pretty," Lily murmured quietly. The others uttered words of agreement as the train slowed to a stop. An announcement rang through the compartments. "We have arrived at Hogsmead station. Please leave your baggage in the racks, it will be sent to your living quarters later. Please exit in an orderly fashion. Thank you for your time, you may now step onto the platform."

Their group, containing Lily, James, Peter, Remus, Sirius and the Prewett twins, stepped off the train.

"First years, this way! Come on first years." A man, entirely too large, called out to the first years.

"Woah… he's very big… kinda intimidating…" Lily muttered under her breath to Gideon.

"That's Hagrid. He's the grounds master at Hogwarts. My mother says he's harmless." Fabian whispered as they followed the big man towards the lake.

Once they reached the lake, the group split up. Gideon, Fabian and Lily left to find the girl they were originally riding with and James, Remus, Peter and Sirius entered a boat.

"Joy… do I really have to ride with you people?" Sirius muttered his protest half-heartedly. He would never admit it, but he enjoyed the company.

"Unfortunately for us, there are no other boats free." James muttered back.

"Great… I have to ride with a bigheaded, stuck up prat all the way to the castle? This just isn't my day." Sirius muttered back, as the boats started moving.

James and Sirius continued to argue, until James said something that he shouldn't have.

"You just think your soo great don't you Sirius fucking Black? Think your soo wonderful cause you come from a "supreme" pureblood family, don't you? Well Black, I have news for you… Your family is SHIT, and you're probably the worst out of them… the heir to the great Black name. You're just like every other murdering scumbag out there."

"You're wrong Potter. Don't even pretend to know me… and don't pretend you're any better. You walk around with your nose so far in the air, it's a surprise you don't walk into walls. Don't judge me, Potter." Sirius said, making the boat rock because he had practically jumped to his feet when James had started.

Standing up, James gave Sirius a push. "Don't think I believed a word you said to that girl in the compartment. You totally believe that pureblood bullshit. You're just a sad, pathetic, weak-willed fool who believes anything his parents tell him. You make me sick."

Remus knew James had pushed Sirius too far. Sirius seemed done with words as he punched James in the face. James stood shocked for a moment before pushing Sirius hard. Sirius toppled over the side, grabbing James shirt in the process. The two hit the surface of the lake with a resounding splash. It was a miracle that nobody noticed. Sirius surfaced a moment later. Remus glanced around, looking for James, as Sirius swam for the boat. When he didn't see James anywhere, he started to panic.

"Sirius… SIRIUS! James didn't surface," Remus yelled at Sirius.

"Serves him right, the prat, pushing me in like that." Sirius grumbled.

"Sirius… what if he can't swim? Maybe you should see if you can find him? What if he drowns? Oh my god… James is gonna die." Remus was in a full blown panic attack.

"Alright, sheesh, calm down… I'm sure he's fine. I don't even like him. Why should I look for him?" Sirius grumbled.

"You're already wet, and I'm not a good swimmer. Besides, if he really is drowning, would you be able to live with the guilt of being able to save him but not?" Remus said still freaking out a little.

"Fine, fine… I'll go look for the idiot." Sirius answered, looking around.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

James landed in the water with a splash. He swam upwards and broke the surface of the water, taking a deep breath. He was swimming towards the boat when he got dragged down. He looked down at his leg and saw a large tentacle wrapped around it. That tentacle had to belong to something huge and that thought was making James panic. He struggled as hard as he could; hoping Remus and Peter had noticed he was missing. He continued to fight as it pulled him deeper and deeper. Just when he thought he was going to die, he felt a hand grab his shirt and pull. Looking up at the person the hand belonged to, he was surprised to see the person he least expected to save him. Sirius Black was making hand signals. He pointed to James then upwards before pointing to himself then James leg and the tentacle. James nodded and started swimming upwards a strong as he could but he was running out of air fast. Sirius was dealing with the tentacle that was trying to kill him. A few seconds later, when James was about to give up, the pressure on his leg let up and Sirius was pulling him to the surface. Dragging him over to the boat, Sirius took in great gulps of air and shoved James towards the obnoxiously waiting Remus and Peter. Heaving himself into the boat, they continued on as if nothing happened. Sirius, the master of many tricks, used a drying spell on himself and James before collapsing in a heap, completely worn out.

"Anyone got any food? That swim made me starving." Sirius asked.

James and Remus stared at each other, slightly confused. Sirius Black was defiantly a strange kid.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Authors Note: Sorry guys... took a little longer than I wanted and I didnt really like the ending... but hey. its here! I have the next 2 chapters written except for a few parts that I'm having a little trouble on. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Feel free to point out any mistakes.

Ta, Swordy


	6. Hats, Houses and Mysterious Marauders

Chapter 5: Sorting Hats, Houses and Mysterious Marauders.

Upon arriving at the school, all first years were ushered into a small, official looking room. A strict lady, who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall informed them about what was going to happen next.

"In a few moments you will be sorted into your houses. You will walk through these doors and when I call your name you will come to the front and sit on the stool. Please form a line and wait here." She exited the room as the first years complied with her last order. Sirius, James, Peter and Remus were all lost in their own thoughts. The four boys could hear the excited babbling of a young redhead and her friends, but nobody really registered what she was saying.

'I really don't wanna be in Slytherin.' Sirius thought, 'but if I don't get into Slytherin, my mom will tear me apart'

'This black kid is strange. Why did he dry me off? And why did he even save me in the first place?' James thought, 'Maybe he isn't all that bad, maybe friendship material? No, I can't be his friend; he's probably just trying to get close to me so. Besides, a Gryffindor can't befriend a Slytherin, it's unheard of.'

'Strange kid, this Sirius Black is. He seems to have a sense of mischief as does this Potter fellow. Maybe I should be careful around them. James doesn't seem to realise he has found a kindred spirit in Sirius. I wonder what house I'll be in… probably not Gryffindor, because I'm not brave. Hopefully I don't get put in Hufflepuff, I would leave if I got put into Slytherin, so if I had a choice, I'd choose Ravenclaw. Wow, I even ramble in my thoughts.' Remus contemplated to himself.

'Sheesh, if she takes any longer I'll starve to death.' Peter thought.

As if reading Peter's thoughts, Professor McGonagall returned carrying a stool and what looked like a rag. "We are ready for you now. Please stay in line and do keep up."

The line of first years followed the Professor to the Great Hall. Excited whispering and nervous chatter filled the room, accompanied by gasps of amazement. The Professor placed the stool in front of the head table and the rag on top. To the amazement of most first years, excluding Sirius and a few other children from Pure-blood families, the rag straightened its self out and a mouth appeared from what originally looked like a burst seam. The hat shocked them further when it started to sing. (A/N: sorry! The reason this chapter is because I tried for almost a month to write a song before giving up. Forgive me please ) It sang about the history of the school and the four founders. It described the four houses and the requirements to get into each one. When the hat had finished its song, the hall burst into applause and the sorting began.

Anseworth, Penny was called first and the hat sat on her head for mere seconds before placing her in Hufflepuff. The table decked out in yellow and black cheered especially loud because they got the first new first year.

Auron, Richard was called next and placed into Ravenclaw, whereas Belford, Thomas went to Slytherin. Black, Sirius was called and Sirius winced as he nearly tripped over his feet from nervousness. Once he was settled on the stool, the hat was placed on his head and slipped down over his eyes. Sirius wasn't surprised when started talking to him.

"Hmm, another Black? I know just where you belong. SLYTH…. What was that boy? Is this doubt I sense? Surely you belong in Slytherin, do you not?"

"Hurry up hat. Just sort me into my house already."

"Hmm… What's this I've found? Courage? And loyalty? A sense of honour? Oh, and your very talented. A great mind you have, young Mr. Black. Why do you feel the need to hide this?"

"JUST SORT ME YOU DAMNED HAT." Sirius yelled in his head.

"Oh I will Mr. Black. But not in the house you think. GRYFFINDOR will do you fine."

A collective gasp rose throughout the hall. A Black in Gryffindor? That was impossible. The hat had finally lost its mind…

Sirius sat on the stool, almost too shocked to breathe. His mother was going to reduce him to a pile of gore. He swore quietly as he made his way to the table decked in red and gold, among the whispers and pointing fingers. He glanced discreetly at James Potter and was pleased to see him looking mildly shocked.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

James Potter stared at Sirius Black, not completely shocked but definitely a little put out. He would probably have to share a dorm room with this crazy Black kid. (A/N: I am not a racist person, I know it sounds bad but it is in no way meant to be discriminatory, just for clarification because it sounded… awkward… to me.)

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A few people later, Evans, Lily was called. A very nervous looking Lily walked to the stool and sat on it. She fidgeted as the hat was placed on her head. Impatiently pushing it back up as it fell over her eyes, she began her silent conversation with the sorting hat.

"You have a great mind, Miss Evans. Raveclaw would suit you, but you also have a thirst to prove yourself, a Slytherin trait for sure. You are very loyal I see, Hufflepuff would also suit you, as well as Gryffindor, for you are brave and have a feeling of fairness."

"If I suit all the houses how will you sort me?" Lily asked timidly.

"I will let you choose Miss Evans. Which house would you like to be in? Will it be Gryffindor for courage? Maybe Hufflepuff, for loyalty? Perhaps Slytherin, for ambition? Or will it be Ravenclaw, for intelligence and the thirst of learning?"

"I think I would like Gryffindor. They look like nice people." Lily ventured, looking around.

"Alright then, GRYFFINDOR it is!" the hat roared. The table Sirius had sat down at cheered.

Lily slipped into the seat beside into the seat beside Sirius and smiled shyly at him. When Sirius didn't smile back she turned to the sorting, trying to focus. Her mind drifted to her family back home. She would have been thinking about her old friends, if she had any, but the fact was that she had always been out of place in the muggle world. She briefly wondered if her parents would be proud she got placed in Gryffindor or whether they would even understand.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Halfway through the sorting the sorting Lupin, Remus was called and Remus, who was nervous but determined to show his mothers family he wasn't as worthless as they were, started towards the front of the room, tripping over his robes in the process. Some of the older students, mainly Slytherins, laughed and Remus went tomato red as he picked himself off the floor. James and Peter both cheered he stood and Lily smiled encouragingly for her spot beside Sirius. Remus managed to make it to the stool without further incident.

"Ah… Mr. Lupin, I have been waiting for the chance to sort you. It's been a while since a werewolf attended Hogwarts. You have traits that could place you in any house but Slytherin is not very understanding with people who are in the same situation you are in. your mind is amazing, defiantly worthy of a Ravenclaw, but people in that house are too intelligent and your dorm mates would have your secret figured out in a few months. Hufflepuffs, although loyal, have a tendency to gossip a lot, which might not be a good thing considering your monthly disappearances. Bravery… that is something you have in vast amounts, so I will place you in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last part as it finished it immense monologue.

Remus jumped off the stool, tripped over his robes again and stumbled towards the Gryffindor table. He plonked himself down across from Sirius and watched the sorting with a satisfied and proud smile on his face.

Micheals, Alice was called next and the blonde girl Lily had ridden in the boats with walked up to the stool looking quite pale. The hat shouted Gryffindor and she made her way over to the table only to be tripped by another student and fall into an older boys lap. Blushing redder than Lily's hair, she stuttered a quick apology and hurriedly sat beside Lily, still blushing. Lily leaned over and engaged Alice in a hushed conversation that Remus only heard snatches of. Sirius was muttering to himself about a mistake and getting resorted. He seemed extremely tense and continued to block out the sorting. Remus focused on composing a letter to his father. This caused his mind to wander to the note his cousin had written, stored in his bag. He would have to read it tonight. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Peter sat down beside him. James was just sitting down on the stool.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Peter watched the people soon to become his classmates get sorted as he contemplated what his father would do if he got sorted into Hufflepuff. In fact, he was so busy dwelling on this thought that he didn't hear his name get called. James, who had been paying attention, pushed him forward. Peter, shocked out of his thoughts, fell on his face because James pushed him right into a boys extended leg.

James grabbed his arm, hauling him up. "Sorry Pete, but if you don't get up there you'll miss your turn."

Peter cursed his misfortune as he stumbled up to the stool, stuttered an apology to Professor McGonagall and took a seat.

"Peter Pettigrew, the minister's son?" The hat said quietly. "I have a great deal of compassion for you boy. Let's see, you have an average mind and your not too ambitious, so neither Ravenclaw nor Slytherin would do. You are not spectacularly courageous and you do not possess an ounce of loyalty towards anyone except for your mother. Maybe Gryffindor would suit you best out of all the houses. Learn a few things from your housemates, Mr. Pettigrew. It may just save your life one day." The hat muttered before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR."

Peter dropped the hat on the stool, scurried over to the table and sat down beside Remus. Peter's mind drifted to the hats warning. What had the hat meant? Puzzling over it for some time, Peter only snapped out of it when food appeared in front of his face. He started stuffing himself with all sorts of things.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

James watched his friends get sorted and cheered when Remus, Peter and the red head whose name he couldn't remember got sorted into Gryffindor. His name was called after Peter's and he walked towards the stool, looking outwardly calm. On the inside, James was swimming in nerves. He had doubts as to whether he would get sorted into Gryffindor. His dad would be disappointed if James didn't get into his old house. Sitting on the stool, James took a deep breath and almost jumped when the hat was placed on his head.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I haven't sorted a Potter in many years. Your character is so much like your father's. You have a lot of courage and his mischievous side, although I fear yours is much worse. Remember, Mr. Potter, friends can be found in unexpected people. Best sort you with people you can relate to. GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted.

James sighed with relief, headed towards the table and sat down beside Remus. Grinning he watched the Prewett twins get sorted into Gryffindor. They came to the table and Gideon took the seat beside James while Fabian sat beside Sirius, who was looking dazed and worried about something.

James studied Sirius Black. There was something wrong with the kid. He just seemed so out of place compared to any of the other 11 year olds. As the sorting carried on James tried to places what seemed so wrong with Sirius. By the time Snape, Severus was called, James had Sirius pinned. Instead of being excited, Sirius looked terrified. James briefly felt pity for the boy before Sirius snapped out of his trance and gave him a glare that could make even the most powerful wizard fear for his life. As the last first year was sorted, he saw Black make a barely noticeable wand movement, turning the professors and staff at the head table into multicoloured clown impersonators. The students burst into laughter and the divination teacher, Professor Adian, let out a screech of horror and had to be restrained. There was a flash of light and then fiery letters spelt out the words, "A new era has begun. Let those who wish to stop the chaotic and mischievous prank era know that the Marauder has arrived."

James reacted quickly and added an "s" onto the word marauder and changed the word has into have. Smirking he wrote under the original words, "We Marauders are the elite; a group of tricksters so smooth we will leave our victims wondering what hit them."

Under James words appeared another set. "The Marauders are the players of pranks, the masters of mischief and the shadows of stealth. Catch us if you can."

James looked around hoping to catch the third culprit. A stifling silence fell over the Great Hall before a few older students started clapping. Pretty soon the whole populace of Hogwarts, minus the staff of course, was cheering. James glanced at Sirius to gauge his reaction and saw him glancing between himself and Remus. Peter caught James' eye and, upon seeing him, James burst into laughter. It took only a glance at Peter to send Sirius and Remus into stitches. Within minutes, half the Gryffindor table was in gales of laughter as Peter Pettigrew tried to get his fat ass off the floor.

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Authors Note: Thank you to those who are still reading this. I am very sorry it took so long to get up and too top that off its kind of short. Feedback is always nice. I realized when I was writing this chapter that I had continuously been spelling a few things wrong. Ta for the support.

Swordy

An Additional A/N: I am dreadfully sorry that it has been so long since I've updated. I am having severe problems with the next chapter, to the point that I have already rewritten it 3 times and am still not satisfied. I am adjusting a few more things and it should be good enough for me to post by Sunday, if not sooner. Sorry for the delay and lots of love to those who are still following me.


	7. Friends, Enemies and Roommates

Chapter 6: Friends Enemies and Roommates

Lily was having an interesting time at the Welcoming Feast. She had forged friendships with Alice, Gideon and Fabian and was trying to coax Sirius into a friendship. Sirius, who at first seemed welcome to friendship, was now withdrawn and stubborn. It seemed almost as if he was afraid to make friends. She chose to sit beside him simply to force him to talk to someone but it didn't work that great because no matter what question anyone asked him, he seemed to come up with a one word answer. Deciding to give up for the moment, Lily jumped into a conversation Alice and Gideon were having. They were debating about the pranksters that called themselves The Marauders and the argument was getting progressively louder.

"They are so childish, though." Alice practically shouted.

"But you have to admit they are pretty cool. I mean the prank was amusing, albeit completely harmless." Gideon answered back.

"Yea… but clowns?!?! I mean come on, it would have been more amusing if these Marauders put them in pink tutus and made them dance. Clowns are so immature."

"Ahh, but that's too advanced for a first year, my dear Alice." Lily said, interrupting Gideon's retort.

"How do you know they are first years, Lils?" Alice asked.

"Yes, do tell Lilyflower." James added casually.

Fabian, Remus and Sirius were now watching her with interest, and Peter, who had not even looked up from his food, had momentarily stopped eating to listen. Lily looked at their curious faces and tapped her finger on her chin like the little know-it-all she was.

"Because look at what the Marauder's message said. 'A new era has begun'? If they weren't new students they would have been pranking people already."

"You make a good point there, Lily. I wonder what house they are in…" Gideon mused looking intrigued.

"I bet they are in Ravenclaw. I mean Slytherins aren't the type that have a sense of humor, Hufflepuffs are too nice and all the first year Gryffindors are either muggle-borns or are sitting right here, and I didn't see any of you guys do anything." Alice concluded.

Lily noticed the way James glanced at Sirius and how Sirius looked like he wanted to say something. She, however, missed the subtle kick Remus gave him.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

After the feast, the new Gryffindors headed to their common room, following the head prefect, Arthur Weasley. He informed the first years of the trick stairs, moving staircases and introduced them to the Fat Lady. He told them the password (Devils Snare) and assigned them their dorms. Since there was nine Gryffindor first year boys, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter got assigned to one dorm while the other five were assigned to the other dorm.

James was the first of his roommates in the door and he claimed the bed bye the large bay windows. Remus took the bed beside him and Sirius claimed the one closest to the door, leaving Peter the one in-between Remus and Sirius. Sirius sat down on the bed he had claimed and almost jumped with shock when he noticed his trunk was already there. Digging through his trunk to find his pyjamas, Sirius ignored his roommates. Once he found them, he headed to the lavatory to change, feeling uncomfortable around his roommates already. After changing, Sirius pulled the hangings around his bed closed and lay there thinking and listening to James and Remus talk. He was tempted to stick his head out from his curtains and join in on the conversation but he knew his mother was going to have enough problems, with him being in Gryffindor and all, without him consorting with blood traitor, half-bloods and mudblood lovers. Sirius heard James and Remus discussing their families and life before Hogwarts. Remus explained how the only relative, aside from his father whom he lived with, he kept in contact with was a cousin about the same age as them that went to Durmstrang. Remus seemed to be keeping something from James but either he didn't notice or he didn't want to press. Sirius understood not wanting to talk about certain things because he didn't like discussing his family life. As Sirius was slipping into sleep, he caught something James said that started him into wakefulness and sparked his interest. Listening harder, Sirius realised the reason it caught his interest was because Potter was talking about him and his bloodline.

"What do you suppose Black's problem is? He has amazingly fast mood swings. I mean first he wants to be friends then he acts all bitchy and now he is hiding from us. I wonder if he's a schizo or something. I wouldn't be surprised; he comes from a fucked family, after all. I wonder how he tricked the sorting hat into putting him in Gryffindor." James ranted.

Remus, who had been silent during James little speech, spoke up quietly. "James, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable? Sirius just got sorted into a house his family doesn't approve of. He comes from a long line of Slytherins and I bet his mother isn't going to be happy he is in Gryffindor. There is probably a crazy amount of pressure on him."

"Yea, sure… but he can't be that different from his family can he?"

"James, you shouldn't judge people by their families and the people they are forced to associate with. Just like you shouldn't judge them for the things they can't or don't have any control over. Just because his Sur name is Black doesn't mean he's an evil Slytherin who managed to hoodwink an extremely advanced source of wizardry to get sorted into Gryffindor so he could sabotage the Potter heir. I mean, come on… you give his family too much credit. They aren't super geniuses or anything."

"You don't know that! Maybe that really is his plan… anyway, I don't trust him."

"Alright, James. You don't have to trust him, just don't do anything stupid."

"Fine… but Remus, do you really think he's different from his family? I mean they are just so awful. If he is anything close to them, these next seven years are going to be one horrendous nightmare."

"He did get sorted into Gryffindor, James. That means he must have at least one redeeming quality."

"Or he's just very good at deceiving people."

"You liked him until you remembered who he was related to. Don't make snap judgements, James. He seems like a nice guy to me. Just give him a chance."

"Why? So he can betray me like his father did to mine? Give him a chance and he'll stab me in the back."

"What the hell? Can you be anymore random? Now I'm confused. What does your father's and his father's relationships have to do with the relationship between you and him? I think your just trying to find excuses not to like him now James. Are you trying to convince yourself that your family's views about the Blacks are right?"

"My dad and his dad used to be best friends. He told me to never trust a Black because they cause nothing but trouble and pain."

"Do you always do what your daddy tells you to, Potter?" Sirius interrupted, loudly. "I bet he's your biggest most favouritest role model ever isn't he? I bet you think your daddy is the best because he's one of the "good guys". Your dad wasn't always so good, not when he was friends with my father. Or did he not tell you about his bad days? I guess he didn't tell you about the crew he used to run with… too afraid of his perfect little ray of sunshine getting corrupted. My father told me all about the terror they caused. He said I should be proud… proud to be the son of a murderer. He tried so hard to make me into something I never wanted to or had the capacity to be. I was introduced to the Dark Arts when I was 5. Do you know what that could do to a child at such a young age? You judge me for things I cannot change. I didn't choose my parents. If it were up to me I'd rather not know about or have anything to do with the dark arts. Just because you have such a wonderful life doesn't mean everyone else does." Sometime during his rant, Sirius had stood up, and with a final glare, he stalked out of the dorm, slamming the door behind him.

James and Remus stared at the door in shock and Peter let out a frightened breath.

"Well… that went smooth James." Peter said. "It was bad enough having to live with him when he was indifferent but now he's going to be awful because he feels threatened. If he takes this out on me its going to be your fault." With his semi-hysterical speech done, Peter crawled under his covers, pulling the hangings around his bed with a snap.

Remus looked at James. "Great, now we have to worry about our dorm mate, who is also the heir to one of the darkest families around, plotting revenge. Not to mention he seems to be a top notch prankster. You got me into a bad situation, James."

"Come on Remus, he's only 11. He can't know that many spells, can he? Besides, I'm a prankster too and if I'm guessing correctly, so are you? It's two against one. Just watch my back and I'll watch yours."

"I think you underestimate this Sirius Black. I have a feeling his revenge isn't going to be pretty."

"It's ok, I have a plan. We will deal with Black's revenge when it comes, but I think we should strike first. Anyway I'm dead tired so let's sleep." James said.

"Ok, but keep me out of you plans. I don't want to be anymore involved in this then I already am. Night James."

"Night Remus."

James pulled the curtains around his bed.

Remus pulled out two lengths of parchment and set out to write a letter to his father. After he finished, he read it over. Making a few changes Remus stashed it under his pillow to mail in the morning and pulled out the letter from his cousin. Unfolding the slightly crumpled parchment he stared at it in amazement. The ink color was changing… Smiling, Remus read the note.

_Hey Remmie!_

_I'm so psyched for you! I know you probably didn't read this on the train… your probably reading this from your dorm at like 1 am. So I want to know all about Hogwarts, your new friends and dorm mates and the most important thing… how the muffins are! Tell me everything. I started at Durmstrang yesterday and so far it sucks. I plan on getting expelled by the end of the year, if not sooner, so I never have to put up with these awful people again! Maybe my mom will have the sense to put me in Hogwarts. Anyway, I'm sure your tired so, write me tomorrow and tell me all about your classes and teachers._

_Lotsa love,_

_Britt_

_Ps. Pulled any pranks yet? I've turned two teachers' hair rainbow and flooded the bathroom so far. 2 weeks detention and a 4 foot essay on respect from school property. Not bad for my first day._

_Pps. Kyle says you suck but he and Ryan are just jealous you never write them. Ryan says you better say hi in your next letter._

Remus stared at the last part of the letter with confusion. He didn't remember when he stopped writing Kyle and Ryan but he remembered it was because they never responded. Britt's brothers haven't been interested in him for a long time so why the change? He decided he would ask when he wrote his reply tomorrow.

Sirius was disappointed and hurt, not to mention the rage he felt. His roommates and the people he was hoping could become his friends couldn't even look past his last name and the family it connected him to. They didn't even give him a chance to be himself. He knew about his father and Potter's father and their relationship, but he didn't understand why James Potter insisted on their relationship being the same. James had, after all, been friendly before he realised who Sirius was related to. Sirius dwelled on this as he drifted to sleep on the couch in the common room.

The next morning, Sirius was woken by a curious Lily Evans. She poked him in the side before inquiring as to why he was sleeping on the couch. Sirius muttered something about deranged psychopathic dorm mates being stupid. Lily offered him a small smile.

"Well lucky for you, I wake up early. You should get ready for classes now and you will probably miss your roommates. I'll wait for you down here if you want.

"Thank you Lily. I'll be down in a bit." Sirius mumbled before rolling off the couch, stretching and heading towards the stairs with a yawn.

Remus glared at the window before checking the time on the muggle alarm clock his father had given him. Only 6 am. Cursing under his breath, Remus rolled over, buried his head under a pillow, and tried to get back to sleep. After 15 minutes had passed, it was apparent that more sleep would not come so Remus got out of bed and grabbed his robes and uniform. As he walked to the lavatory, he noticed Sirius wasn't in his bed and the bed itself looked exactly how he had left it yesterday. Frowning thoughtfully, Remus mulled this over in the shower.

Sirius walked into the dorm. Heading for his trunk, he took noticed of his roommates activities. Potter's curtains were closed but he could hear incoherent muttering, the type that someone asleep would make. Pettigrew was half on his bed and half on the floor. But what worried Sirius the most was Lupin. Lupins bed was empty, suggesting the boy was already awake, and because Sirius had not seen him in the common room that suggest he would have a run in with the boy before breakfast. Sirius cursed his luck. He didn't want to deal with Lupin. Pulling out some clothes, he shoved a few things deeper and cast a locking charm on it. Turning around he slammed into Remus, who was doing up his tie. Sirius landed on his butt with a yelp. Successfully waking James, who poked his head out of the curtains mutter a "huh wassamatter" and blinking several times. Reaching out, he grabbed his glasses and shoved them on his face.

Growling slightly, James glared at Sirius. "Figures it would be you, Black. Disturbing my sleep this early."

"Don't start with me Potter. I didn't get any sleep last night so don't bitch at me because your mate slammed into me." Sirius snapped, heaving himself off the floor and hitting the showers.

James and Remus once again stared at a door, this time the bathroom door, as it slammed shut.

"Well, he definitely isn't a morning person is he?" Remus joked quietly.

James grumbled something and yanked the curtains closed again.

Remus sighed and sat down on the edge of this bed waiting for Sirius. He had come to the conclusion that even if James didn't like Sirius, he wasn't going to let that influence him. Blood feuds were stupid after all. Remus though about where Sirius could have been all night before deciding he wouldn't tell James that Sirius hadn't returned to the dorms.

Sirius finished is shower and stepped out of the bathroom infinitely more calm. His eyebrows shot up in confusion when he saw Lupin still in the dorm sitting on his bed. He looked as though he was waiting for someone, but by the looks of it, Potter had gone back to bed. After giving Lupin a strange look, Sirius unlocked his trunk and collect what he thought he would need, shoved his pyjamas inside, relocked it and left the dorm, Lupin following.

Turning around to talk to Lupin, Sirius tripped over his shoe and teetered on the stairs. With his heightened reflexes, Remus grabbed the front of Sirius' robes before he could fall.

"Thanks Lupin." Sirius said gratefully. "Thought I was a goner for a second there."

"No problem. Are you going to breakfast right now?" Remus asked in a quiet voice.

"Yea, the redheaded girl our age said she would walk with me and I am really hoping she can get us there without being lost because I have no clue how."

"Yea, neither do I. Can I walk with you guys then?"

"Umm, Ok I guess. Are you sure your buddy Potter would be ok with that?"

"James doesn't rule me. Who cares if he has a problem? It's his problem."

Sirius grinned. Lupin seemed like a good guy to be friends with.

Arriving at the common room, Sirius spotted Lily and waved her over with a smile.

"Hey Sirius, Lupin. You guys ready to go to breakfast now?" Lily asked.

"Yea, Lupin was awake so he tagged along. You don't mind do you?" Sirius asked, now slightly nervous because Lily was his only friend at the moment.

"Not at all. As long as you two don't start fighting its all good. I'm just not sure exactly how you can be friends with someone who drives you out of your dorm for the whole night on the first day you're here." Lily whispered the last part to Sirius, but Remus still heard it.

"Actually, I tried to make James see he was being unreasonable. James is the one with the problem concerning Sirius, not me. I don't know Sirius well enough to judge him, although neither does James. Anyway let's go down to breakfast because I'm hungry."

"Alrighty then, let's go. Lily… do you have any clue how to get to the great hall?" Sirius asked.

"Uhh yea, I think I do. It's this way I think." Lily said starting down the corridor to the left, Sirius and Remus following behind. 20 minutes later, Remus and Sirius learned the first important thing in Hogwarts; never trust Lily Evans to get you anywhere, without a map, on time. They also learned not to trust the portraits because some of the occupants enjoyed misleading first years. By the time the three made it to breakfast the hall was starting to fill up. Remus plopped his ass down on a bench near the end of the Gryffindor table. Lily sat down with Sirius on the other side. Reaching across for the bacon, Remus accidentally brushed his hand across the silver platter. Hissing with pain he yanked his hand back. Sirius, who had just got some bacon, knew the plate wasn't that hot. He looked at Remus' hand curiously. There was a blister starting to form.

"You must have really sensitive skin mate because I just touched that plate and I didn't get burnt. I think we should get you to madam whatever-her-face-is and get you fixed up. Sirius said standing up.

"No, I'm alright. I'll go after we finish breakfast." Remus said reaching over to tug Sirius back down.

"Well you aren't getting out of it. I'm going to take you right after breakfast. That burn needs to be taken care of or else it will get infected." Sirius stated.

Remus stared at the boy across from him in wonder. They weren't even close friends, yet this Black kid was acting as if he cared. He was defiantly a strange character.

Sirius watched Remus quietly from his spot. He had touched that platter before Remus and it defiantly wasn't hot enough to burn someone that bad. Maybe Remus had some disease which made him extra heat sensitive. But Remus' burn didn't look normal.

'_Where have I seen a burn like that,' Sirius thought. 'It looks familiar, almost like a burn from a curse. Strange, I'll have to look it up.'_

Sirius finished breakfast fast and Remus was just finishing up when Alice came down. She yawned and grumpily dropped down in the seat beside Lily. Sirius traded looks with Remus before hastily excusing them on the pretence of taking Remus to the medical wing. Sirius grinned as they raced out the doors of great hall, but the grin quickly fell off his face as he rain straight into James Potter, toppling to the ground for the second time that morning. Grumbling, Sirius heaved himself to his feet and with a glare at James, he mutter quietly, "Let's go Remus; you need to see the nurse."

James grabbed Remus' arm and said, rather loudly, "Remus you don't have to hang out with this loser anymore. Come join me for breakfast."

Sirius bristled and Remus stared at James, shocked by his rudeness. Sirius continued walking, not expecting Remus to follow. After all, Sirius was the bane of Gryffindor whereas James was like the hero.

Remus' stared changed to a glare as he prepared himself to tear James metaphorically oversized head off. "You know, Potter, it's not polite to insult people. Did your mother not teach you manners? I've already eaten anyway, but even if I hadn't, I would pass because the way you treat people makes me lose my appetite."

For the first time in Remus' life, he had just rejected an offer of friendship.

James stared at Remus, dumfounded. He wasn't used to being rejected and he had thought that Remus was his friend. James stalked into great hall for breakfast. The morning had not gone the way he wanted it to.

After the confrontation with James, Remus had searched everywhere for Sirius. When he realised he probably wouldn't be able to find him, he head toward the medical wing, figuring that Sirius would at least be happy about that.

Sirius was hopelessly lost. After Potter had insulted him he had wandered off looking for entertainment. Within 10 minutes he had managed to get lost.

'_They really should hand out maps to first years,'_ Sirius thought after he had been wandering for a half of an hour. He was worried because he had not ran into anybody else, teacher or student. While deep in his thoughts, Sirius walked around a corner and collided with someone, sending them both flying. Before Sirius had time to recover, a wand was pointed between his eyes. Following the wand to its owner Sirius saw the last people he wanted to at that moment, his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa as well as Lucius Malfoy. As bad as the situation was, Sirius couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face as he shoved Malfoy's wand out of his face.

"Get that pathetic twig you call a wand out of my face Luci. It's not polite or honourable to point your wand at people who are defenceless."

"Watch your tongue black. I could curse you into oblivion right now and nobody would even know." Malfoy replied moving his wand so it was once again pointed at Sirius' face.

"This is a warning _Cousin_. Aunty Walburga is not pleased. She has arranged for us to monitor you because she doesn't want you mingling with bloodtraitors and mudbloods. We will be watching you Sirius and I suggest you be a good boy and sit with us at the Slytherin table till be get you resorted." Bellatrix warned.

"I look forward to it Bella. Unfortunately for you I will not sit with you nor will I be getting resorted. Now Cissy, be a good girl and put your mutt on a leash. I don't want to play fetch Luci, so get that stick out of my face." Sirius said, pushing Malfoys hand away as he stood. "Bella, be a dear and point the way to great hall for me."

"Why you insolent little brat, you'll pay for that insult." Malfoy growled.

"Not now Luci, I am going to be late. Catch you later, boy." Sirius replied, practically skipping down the hall, away from the shocked Slytherins. He was just about out of sight around a corner when Malfoy shouted "_Incendio"_. Shocked, Sirius dodged around the corner, stomping out his robes.

"Great," muttered Sirius. "First day of classes and I've already had bad luck with my roommates, no luck with friends and good luck making enemies. If I had of know this is what it was going to be like getting sorted into Gryffindor, I would have asked for Hufflepuff."

XxXxXxXxXx

Authors Note: Sorry guys, I know I promised to update ages ago but stuff came up. School is over for me now so I will be trying to write more. I had lots of difficulty with this chapter and I still don't like it that much but I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for sticking with me. During this chapter I got frustrated and wrote part of an one shot that I plan on finishing and posting soon. Do not expect an update for a few weeks as I will be deep in the 7th book. YAY!

Swordy


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